DJI Launches Urgent Instagram Campaign As December 23 Ban Deadline Looms With No Audit Started

DJI has launched an urgent public advocacy campaign on Instagram warning that a December 23, 2025 deadline that could decide the company’s fate in the U.S. is just 43 days away—and no federal agency has started the mandated security audit that could prevent an automatic ban.

The Instagram post, shared by DJI Global’s official account, uses a stark visual countdown clock showing Tuesday, December 23, 2025, alongside a notification alert warning “DJI could be banned in the U.S. by a deadline just 43 days away.” The multi-slide campaign explains the regulatory crisis and directs users to take immediate action.

What The December 23 Deadline Means

Under the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the U.S. government was meant to audit Chinese drone manufacturers—including DJI—before any bans take effect. The Instagram campaign explains that Congress set December 23, 2025 as the deadline for a formal national security review of Chinese-made drones.

If there’s no audit by the deadline, DJI will be automatically added to the FCC’s Covered List—which would effectively ban access to DJI products in the U.S. The Covered List prohibition blocks new products from receiving FCC authorization, making it illegal to import them for sale.

The Instagram post emphasizes a critical problem: “The audit was never formally assigned to any U.S. agency in the NDAA bill, and no agency has taken up the responsibility” despite DJI’s consistent requests for a fair and transparent audit throughout the year.

Impact On New And Existing DJI Products

DJI’s campaign clarifies what the ban would affect. The company would be “banned from launching any new products” in the U.S. market, according to the Instagram slides.

While existing DJI products could still be used, being added to the FCC’s Covered List “could prevent any further purchases of DJI products—even those already available” in the U.S. The company notes that “the rules are not so clear, but the risk is real.”

This concern intensified after the FCC voted 3-0 on October 28 to grant itself unprecedented authority to retroactively ban equipment from companies on its Covered List. The new rules allow the Commission to block devices containing Covered List components and revoke previously authorized equipment in specific cases.

DJI’s Response And Call To Action

The Instagram campaign emphasizes that DJI is calling for two things: “A fair, transparent audit” and “A reasonable extension of the deadline” to make a proper security review possible.

“We remain committed to working with the U.S. government to demonstrate the safety and security of our products,” DJI states in the campaign, emphasizing the company’s willingness to participate in a thorough review process.

The campaign directs U.S.-based users to make their voices heard through the Drone Advocacy Alliance, either by visiting https://bit.ly/DJITakeAction or texting “drones” to 50457. The post garnered 19,288 likes within two days of publication.

DroneXL’s Take

This Instagram campaign represents DJI’s most direct public mobilization yet as the clock runs down on a deadline that could reshape the American drone industry through bureaucratic inaction rather than evidence-based security findings.

We’ve been tracking this December 23 deadline since the FCC granted itself retroactive ban powers in late October. Nearly a year has passed since the NDAA established this one-year review window, and according to multiple reports, no federal agency has formally begun the security assessment. DJI has publicly stated it sent letters to five agencies in March 2025 requesting initiation of the mandated review—with no response.

The parallels to what we cover at our sister site EVXL are impossible to ignore. Just as the U.S. moved to ban Chinese EVs citing security risks, and the EU imposed tariffs up to 45% on Chinese electric vehicles, we’re watching the same playbook unfold in the drone industry. Whether it’s Chinese-made cars or Chinese-made drones, governments are using national security justifications to erect barriers—sometimes through actual security reviews, sometimes through administrative deadlines that trigger automatic bans.

Here’s what troubles us: Florida Senator Rick Scott demanded the FCC use its retroactive powers to revoke all DJI authorizations issued since December 23, 2024. That’s not about security—that’s about punishment. As we wrote then, this approach doesn’t hurt DJI as much as it grounds fire departments using DJI drones for search and rescue, agricultural businesses using them for crop monitoring, and small video production companies that invested their savings in DJI equipment.

The December 23 deadline already exists as the enforcement mechanism. Retroactively revoking authorizations for products that received legitimate FCC approval punishes American operators for Chinese manufacturers’ regulatory challenges. We opposed Senator Scott’s demands then, and we maintain that position now.

DJI’s shell company strategy—which we’ve documented extensively through security researcher Konrad Iturbe’s work tracking companies like Skyany, Skyrover, Cogito, and others—represents a separate issue. The FCC’s new component parts rule will shut down those workarounds once DJI joins the Covered List. That’s appropriate enforcement against regulatory evasion.

But the audit question remains fundamental: should a company controlling 76-90% of the U.S. consumer drone market be banned through bureaucratic inaction rather than evidence-based security findings? The NDAA required a determination about whether DJI poses “an unacceptable risk to national security”—not an automatic ban triggered by administrative neglect.

We support the Drone Advocacy Alliance‘s push for either immediate action or a deadline extension. A credible security assessment requires time for evidence review and meaningful dialogue. The original legislation called for a thorough, evidence-based determination—not a 30-day rush job as some lawmakers demanded in July 2025.

One critical clarification for drone pilots worried about December 23: your existing drones will not stop working. As we explained last week, this is not a “bricking” situation. Drones purchased before DJI joins the Covered List will remain legal to operate. The ban affects new product certifications and future imports—not your current equipment.

What happens in 43 days will determine whether American drone operators maintain access to industry-leading technology, or whether legitimate operators pay the price for a security review that never happened.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.